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J. P. DUNN. SIGNALING APPARATUS FOR RAILROADS.

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UNITED. STATES PATENT Ormea.

J. Panis DUNN, onNnw YORK, N. Y.

SIGNALING APPARATUS FOR RAILROADS.

`SPEC;IIFICAT()N forming part of Letters Patent No. 315,394, dated April?, 1885. A

Application filed April 12, 1884. (No model.)

Fig. 4is a detail section showing a modified T all whom, it may concern.'

Be it known that I, J. PARIS DUNN, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York city, New York, have invented new and use fnl Improvements in Signaling Apparatus for Railroads, of which the following is a specication.

My invention relates to that class of railway` signals which are employed to give notice automatically of preceding trains, and to warn the engineer of the interval of Vtime which separates his train from the one in advance.

It is the purpose of my invention to provide a simple automatic mechanism which shall be certain and efficient in operation, and by which each passing train shall be warned of its approach to the next preceding train when the interval of time ybetween them is less than a predetermined number of minutes.

It is also the purpose of my invention to provide means whereby the said signaling apparatus shall be operated by each passing train either to drop a semaphoric signal or to sound an audible alarm upon the train, according as the interval in tiine'between each train and the preceding one is greater or less than the predetermined time between the trains, or every two trains.

It is also the purpose of my invention to provide mechanism'whereby each operation of the semaphoric signal shall lock the parts during a deiinite interval in such position that the passage of the next train before the expiration of the predetermined interval of time will sound an audible signal upon the train, while the successive operations of the semaphore shall restore the actuating weight or spring to its original position in readiness for the succeeding operation.

To these ends my invention consists in the several novel features of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter set forth, and fully pointed out in the claims.

`Referring tothe drawings, Figure l is a vertical longitudinal section taken through the signal-box upon one side cfa central partition which divides the casing into two parts. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the opposite side, the section plane being uponthe opposite 'side of the partition. Fig. 3 is a perspective showing the attachments to the train or locomotive by which the signal is operated.

construction of the audible signal. Fig.` 5`is a'detail showing 'a modified construction of the disk. i A

In the said drawings, the reference-number l-indicates the apparatus-casing, which may `be of wood or metal and of any desired form. .l This casing is mounted upon a post beside the line and within aflxed distance from the track, as hereinafter described. -This casing is divided into two parts or chambers by a vertical longitudinal partition, 1*. i

Within the casing I journal a disk, 2, having its periphery divided into any desired number of equal spaces, each representing a` fractional part of an hour-as, for example, if the disk is to have one revolution an hour,- and is divided into twelve parts, each division will represent five minutes in time, and this" interval may be varied either byincreasing or decreasing the number of such spaces, or by giving a more or less rapid rotation to the disk, which is moved upon its spindle 8 by a common train of clock-gearing, 4:, `actuated by a weight, 5, or by a spring. riphery of the disk is provided with a series of notches, 6, equal in number to the number of spaces and having corresponding are rangement, and above the disk is pivoted a lever, 7, having a detent, 8, which engages with the notches of the disk and arrests its manner that it is normally thrown into such` "The pe- This lever may be provided witha i engagement whenever one ofthe notches passl es under its detent.

ating-lever, 9, pivoted to the casing at a point,

At or near its forward end this detent-lever is connected with an actu- A 9, between its ends, the inner endof said lei ver being normally thrown upward by the A preponderance of weight of its outer end.

The connection between these two leversymay be by a chain, 10, or any other suitable means,v the single condition being that the connected end of the actuatinglever shall pass through a certain are before it begins to actu-ate the detent-lever. The purpose of this condition will be explained hereinafter.A

rroo The outer end of the actuating-lever pro i jects beyond the casing, as shown in Figs. `1 f and 2, and lies in a position transverse to the track, its end being provided with a loose sleeve, 11, which may rotate freely in either direction, for the purpose of allowing the lever to be actuated by a passing train without such friction as to create a violent side-thrust. It

5 will be seen by reference to Fig. 2 that by throwing this end of the lever upward the inner end thereof will be depressed, drawing upon the chain which connects it with the detent-lever 7, and thereby raising the weighted [o end of the latter, whereby the detent 8 will be lifted out of the notch in the disk 2, settingthe latter free. As rotation of the disk begins, the release of the actuating-lever from engagement with the device by which its outer end is t5 raised will slacken the chain 10, whereby the weight or spring upon the end of the lever 7 willdrop the detent upon the periphery of the disk, and as its extremity is provided with a friction-roll, 12, it will ride thereon as the zo disk revolves until it reaches the neXt succeeding notch therein, with which it will engage automatically, arresting the disk and restoring the parts described to their original position.

`5 Behind the inner end ofth'e lever 9 isplaced ahinged dog, 13,which is thrownback against the action of a spring, 14, by the rise of the inner end of the lever` 9, which sweeps over the inclined edge of the dog as the inner end o of the lever is thrown up by the weight of its outer end. As the end ot' the lever passes above the end of the dog, the spring 14 draws the dog under the said end, as seen in Fig. 2, preventing the outer end of the lever from 5 being raised. The dog 13 is connected by a chain, cord, or similardevice passing over a pin or pulley rigidly mounted on the casing with the outer end of the detent-lever 7,- and by the rise of said end as the detent 8 drops c into the notch in the disk the dog will be drawn back from under the lever 9, allowing it to drop back to its former position. It will be seen that each time the latter is operated to release the disk it-that is to say, the lever 5 Q-will be drawn back to its former position by the weight of its outer end, which overbalances that of the inner end, and as the latter rises above the end of the dog 13 said dog will be drawn forward by the spring 14 and 3 engage the inner end of the lever,which will thus be locked by this dog in the position shown in full lines in Fig. 2, and will remain locked in such position as long as the disk 2 is in motion. The purpose of locking thisle- 5 ver in this manner is to secure the automatic admit a pin, 19, carried upon the end of the lever 9 and overlying the pivoted arm 16 between the pivotal point 20 and the signal 15. Raising the outer end ofthe lever 9 carries down the pin 19, throwing down the signal 15 and raising the weight 17. the weight 17 is a dog, 21, hinged at the point 21 to the casing, and lying in the arc traversed by the inner or weighted end of the arm. The rise of the weighted end pushes the dog back, and as said weight passes above it the dog drops beneath and holds it up, as shown in Fig. 2 in dotted lines. To the back of this dog is attached a cord, 22,which passes over a pulley, 23, thence over a second pulley, 24, and down to the weighted or springactuated end of the detent-lever 7. The drop of this end of lever 7, as the detent engages with the notch in the disk, trips the dog 21 from under the weight 17, and the fall of the weight throws the signal 15 up into its casing.

The chain or cord 10, by which the detentlever is connected with the end of the actuating-lever, is passed through a slot, 25, in the latter, and provided with a stop, 26, placed at a suitable distance below the end of the lever. The chain moving freely in this slot until the stop strikes the lower side of the lever, sufficient movement is given to the pin 19 to actuate the semaphore 15 without imparting an excess ot' movement to the detent-lever 7.

It will be seen from the foregoing description that the operation of the lever 9 will release the disk, exhibit the signal, and lock both the latter and the actuating-lever in the position shown in dotted and full lines, respectively, in Fig. 2, as long as the end of the detent is riding upon the periphery of the disk 2. The moment the detent drops into a notch, the lever is unlocked, the signal is raised, and all the parts restored to their original position.

In order to insure the rotation of the disk 2, so that the detent may not by accident drop Behind the end of TSO IOO

back into the notch from which it has been lifted, I attach a gravity-pawl, 27, to the end of the lever 7, said pawl havinga hooked end engaging with the disk, the arrangement being such that the lever 7 may rise far enough to clear the detent from the disk before the pawl etfects an operative engagement with the disk. This initiates the rotation of the disk and insures the proper operation of the parts.

The clock-work or train of gearing 4, by which the disk is revolved, may be operated by a weight, 5, having its cord running from a drum, 28.

In order to render the apparatus permanently operative and avoid the necessity of constantly winding the weight, I provide automatic winding devices, by which the weight is raised audits cord rewound on the drum at each successive action ot' the mechanism. This mechanism consists simply of a cord, 29, attached to the end of the actuating-lever 9, and running over pulleys 30 and 31,and thence to and around the drum in a direction reverse to that of theweight-cord. Each operation of the lever 9 will rewind the latter upon the drum, always raising the weight to the same height. By placing theeye 32, to which the cord 29 is attached, at the proper distance from the end of the lever, ythe drum may be rotated to the exact extent required to restore the cord run off by the preceding action of the gearing.

This signal is adapted to be operated by a passing locomotive or train, and for that purpose a bar, 33, is mounted upon the cab 34 of the locomotive, near the edge of its roof. This bar is bent, as shown in Fig. 3, and hinged at one end, and beneath it, near the point of attachment, is placed a powerful spring, 35, upon which it rests. The opposite end has a tooth, 36, lying above a spring-dog, 37, which, when the bar is sufficiently depressed, snaps over its tooth 36 and holds it down. Upon the bar, at or near its angle, is a horizontal transverse rod, 38, which extends over the lever 39, by which the steam-whistle is operated. The bell-cord 40, which enters the cab, has a branch,41,attached to the spring-dog 37, and by drawing upon the bell-cord the dog is released from the bar, which is at once thrown up by the spring 35.

This signal is especially adapted for use upon lines where trains are run in rapid succession, or where trains run from several branch lines' upon a main line. The purpose of the signal is to notify the engineer and conductor, both by a visible and an audible signal, of the fact that the preceding train has passed the signalpoint within the minimum time allowed by the schedule, thereby enabling the train to be Aslowed or stopped, as circumstances may require. Thelooomotivecab,inpassingbeneath the projecting end of the lever 9, brings the bar 33 into engagement with the end of the said lever, and if the latter is not locked by the pawl 13 the tension of the'spring 35 is sufflcient to throw up the outer end of the lever 9 and drop the signal 15, both the lever and the signal being locked by the dogs 13 and 21 in the manner already described. 1f, now, a second train reaches this point upon the line during the interval of time represented by a single division upon the periphery of the disk 2, not only will the presence of the signal 15 give warning that the preceding train has passed within that period, but the lever 9 beinglocked, it will not rise as the angular bar 33 rides under its end, but it will throw the bar down into engagement with the springdog 37 drops the signal, andleaves it ready to signal p y the next succeeding train. v

Instead of operating the whistle, I mayuse y a gong,42, operated by a spring-escapement ofthe ordinary kind, and operate it by attaching to its drum a cord, 43, which runs over a pulley, 44, and is connected to the end of a* vertical arm carried'by the bar 33. The de- Vpression of the latter will wind the springdrum and set the gong to sounding. i

As it is often necessary to change the interv vals of time between regular trains upon the Asame road, and as it is not altogether couven` i ient to remove the time-disks, I have devised a compound disk. (Shown in Fig. 5.) 1This conv sists merely of two, three, or more disks,

each having a different time-division indicated i v upon its periphery. These several disks are united and mounted upon the same spindle. By adjusting them upon said spindle any one may be brought underthe detent and the time of action of the signal changed to correspond.

Having thus described my invention, what I Vclain1is 1. The combination, with a disk having its periphery divided to represent equal increments of time, of mechanism for giving rotation to said disk, a detent-lever engaging with and arresting the rotation of said disk, an, actuatingllever 'operated by a passing train, and a seniaphoric signal which is displayed by the operation of the actuating-lever, sub- ,p

stantially as described.

y 2. The combination, with a disk having its surface divided to represent equal intervals a detent engaging with the "disk and arresting said rotation, a pivoted lever carrying said detent, and a gravity-pawl hinged upon` the end of said lever and drawing upon the ico Vof time, of mechanism for rotating said disk,

periphery of the disk as the detent rises from` it to initiate the rotation of the latter, sub-y v stantially as described.

3. `The combination, with a disk having its periphery divided by notches into equal portions, of a pivoted lever having a detent which v engages with said notches, an actuating-lever projecting beyond the casing. and connected to the detent-lever, and a dog locking the actuating-lever upon the disengagement ofthe detent, and tripped from beneath it by the rise of the detent-lever upon the engagement` arm, and a dog locking the weighted end of l the latter as the signal is dropped and tripped from beneath it by the detent-lever upon its p engagement with the disk, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with a notched timedisk having a fixed rotation, of a detent-lever by which it is released and arrested, a pivoted actuatinglever connected with and operating the detent-lever, and a cord leading from the actuating-lever to the drum of the clock-gearing, by which rotation is given the disk, whereby the drum is wound after each fractional rotation, substantially as described.

6. The combination, with a notched tiniedisk, of a releasing-lever having a detent engaging with'the notches in said disk, a pivoted actuating-lever connected with the releasing-lever, a sernaphoric signal thrown down by the actuating-lever, and a gravitypawl hinged behind the inner end ofthe arm carrying the signal, and locking the latter in view during a partial rotation ofthe disk and releasing it as said rotation is arrested, substantially as described.

7. The combination, with a disk having its periphery equally divided by notches, of a detent resting upon it and engaging at intervals with said notches, a pivoted lever carrying said detent, a pivoted actuating-lever connected with the detent-lever, a dog automatically locking the same during the movement of the disk, and a spring-actuated hinged bar mounted upon the locomotive and engaging with a spring-dog when the bar is depressed, substantially as described.

. 8. The combination, with the notched timedisk, of a -Weighted lever carrying a detent engaging with the notches in said disk, an actuating-lever connected with and operating the detent-levcr, and a cord connected to the inner end of the actuatingflever and passing over the pulleys to the drum carryingpthe VWeight-cord, by which movement is given to the gearing which rotates the time-disk, said cord being wound uponthe drum in a direction opposite to that of the weight-cord, whereby the latter is rewound by the 1nove nient of the actuatinglever, substantially as described. v

9. The combination, with a weighted and pivoted actuating-lever, of a pin mounted upon or near its end, asemaphoric signal carried by a weighted arm, and a dog pivoted behind the rear end of the arm carrying the signal, by which said signal is locked in View, substantially as described.

10. The combination, with the notched timedisk, of a pivoted releasing and arresting lever having a detent engaging with the notches in said disk, an actuating-lever connectedl with it, a signal carried by a pivoted arm and thrown down into sight by the action of the actuating-lever, a pawl hinged behind the end of the signal-supporting arm, and a cord leading from said pawl to the inner end ofthe detent-lever, by which the pawl is tripped as the detent engages with a notch upon the disk, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I ai'lx my signature in presence of two witnesses.

J. PARIS DUNN.

Witnesses:

JAMES L. NoRRis, Jos. L. GooMBs. 

